From its foundation in 1768 the Royal Academy of Arts has provided a voice for art and artists. We are an independent charity led by eminent artists and architects—the Royal Academicians—and we pursue our mission through exhibitions, education and debate.

International Architects Series

Talks

Monday 18 September 2017
6.30 — 7.45pm

KWK Promes | Robert Konieczny

Polish architect Robert Konieczny talks about his innovative approach to residential architecture through some of his most recent projects.

Named by the Chicago Athenaeum as one of the most promising architects under the age of 40, and by Wallpaper magazine in a list of the 101 most exciting new architects in the world, Robert Konieczny leads one of Poland’s most recognisable and talented practices.

Since its founding in 1999, his Katowice-based studio KWK Promes has specialised in residential architecture. Konieczny’s mission is to build objects that shape landscapes and the practice’s private homes feature distinct boundaries between interior and exterior spaces.

Despite being best known for one-off houses, KWK Promes’s portfolio also includes a wide range of public facilities, such as the National Museum in Szczecin, which won the World Building of the Year title at the World Architecture Festival in 2016. The underground museum features a large public space on its roof and was designed so it doesn’t block views of Barozzi Veiga’s Philharmonic Hall on the adjacent site.

Monday 18 September 2017

6.30 — 7.45pm

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Biography

Robert Konieczny

Robert Konieczny graduated from the Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice and continued his studies at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in 1996. He is the founder of KWK Promes, established in 1999.

Konieczny is also a ten-time nominee for the Mies van der Rohe Award and won the House of the Year award organised by World Architecture News in 2006. In 2009, his Safe House was shortlisted at the World Architecture Festival and the OUTrial House was a finalist for the LEAF Awards.

In 2016, the practice’s Dialogue Centre in Szczecin was named the Best Public Space in Europe by the CCCB. The same project was also named the World Building of the Year in 2016 at the World Architecture Festival; the first time this award has been given to a Polish project.

Recently, Konieczny’s Ark, another private house by the practice, was also named the best new private house by Wallpaper.

In addition to this, Konieczny is also one of the most published Polish architects. His texts have found their way into prominent magazines and have caught the interest of established publishers such as Taschen and Phaidon. Konieczny was also included in Hans Ibeling’s European Architecture since 1890, making KWK Promes the only studio founded after 1989 that is mentioned in the book.

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